Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Robot uses AI and camera tracking to rehabilitate stroke victims

Stroke patients don't always keep up with their rehabilitation exercises once they leave the hospital, so a team at the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering has come up with a solution — an intelligent robot that makes the process more fun. Associate professor Alex Mihailidis and his team developed a robot that helps patients with their exercises. It's also equipped with artificial intelligence and cameras so that it can track their progress and adapt accordingly. Exercises will change based on past performances or how tired the patient is, and the robot uses rehabilitation-related games to make things more enjoyable. It can even record sessions so that attendants can review progress remotely....Continue reading…

WHAT IS ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY?

“Adaptive Technology refers to any item, piece of equipment, or product system, modified or customized, that is used to increase or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities to achieve greater independence. (29 U.S.C. Sec 22202).”

Adaptive Technology truly "opens the door" to life for people with disabilities. Moreover, it helps to compensate for the effects of disability such as loss of speech, paralysis, and visual impairment, cognitive problems, in an active and positive manner. It places the focus not on what is lost but on what is possible...what is constructive...what can be done! (Buning, 2008).”

Individuals with learning disabilities often have difficulty with skills that others take for granted. Reading, listening, organizing information or writing skills may improve significantly from the use of assistive technology.